Saturday, February 3, 1968

If, as a previous reviewer mentions, the 11 sounds choppy, don't forget, this is the first time they played this in public. If you want to know how they got to f****** around with non standard tempos (The Eleven in in 11/4 time signature), read about it in Mickey Hart's "Drumming at the Edge of Magic", a fantastic read.

This was one of the first tapes I ever heard and it is a classic record of the Dead's transition from speedy psych-pop band to acid-drenched, improvisational jam unit. One of the earliest readings of Dark Star, and presumably one of the shortest, begins as a straight verse/chorus adventure. The China Cat that follows in the same straight vein, but gathers steam until the drummers swell the groove into a spiraling descent through swirling musical colors arriving a last in a cacophony of sweaty…